Fish Advice

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
As long as the tank isn't too much, I'll get a bigger one. I'll look at tens and fives, but the one I got at Walmart when I first started was ten bucks. I can't really spend a hundred dollars on an all new tank. I would like a bigger tank, but it's all about the cost. I will get a bag of sand, and if anyone has advice for properly doing sand, I would gladly take it. It's been a stressful week, and this doesn't help, so if I get frustrated quickly, I'm sorry. I'm losing my mind between a ton of homework, jerkwad professors I'm stuck with for another two months, and people acting like idiots and wondering why I'm annoyed with it. I hope the tanks at Petco aren't too much, but I won't hold my breath. Until I look at them and see how much they are, I'll keep looking at small fish for the one I got.
 
I know you've said money is tight, trust me it is for me too. A pretty cheap setup that I would do is: buy a 10g at petco should be $10, a good filter (I've really liked the aqueon quiet flows) around $20, pool filter sand $5, and some type of lid around $20. That would open up your options a ton and only be spending $55.
 
I've thought about how to do a bigger tank. I'm thinking since money is tight and I am looking for a job, I can try to tweak it if I can find a decent priced tank. If the 10s at Petco are $10, then that would be amazing, although looking online, they weren't. I'll be in the store tomorrow, though, so I can see the price there. I can reuse the airstone I got, since I love it and it's really cool. The small filter I got with this one, though it's just a 1-3gal, would be better than nothing until I get income. I have to have some rock substance because my airstone is one that sits on the bottom and the edges have to be buried for it to stay down. Outside of the airstone, the rest can be solid sand, which I have no idea where I will find sand, nor how the proper way is to put it in. I'm doing my best to make it work, it's just money. And since my grandma wants an aquarium, she can use mine if nothing else. She loved my glofish, even though they were as stupid as sponges. As long as we take care of separate fish, it's good. When we're both caring for the same tank, it's a bad combo.
 
Stupid question since it caught my interest. How is a combo of a dwarf gourami, cory cat, and a nerite snail that for some reason likes to eat algae wafers upside-down? (He really does work his way under it and turn himself almost completely upside-down to eat it every time)
 
BettaGal said:
Stupid question since it caught my interest. How is a combo of a dwarf gourami, cory cat, and a nerite snail that for some reason likes to eat algae wafers upside-down? (He really does work his way under it and turn himself almost completely upside-down to eat it every time)
Click to expand...

You would need to up the Cory count to 3+, other than that I would think that's okay in a 10g, not a 3g though. Using your old filter would be okay on a bigger tank I think, as long as you were under stocked and did plenty of WC, as for your bubble stone, I have the same one and sand held it down great, no need for gravel. I suggested pool filter sand because its one of the cheapest substrates out there, $5 for 50lbs of it usually. You can find it at most hardware stores or pool accessory shops
 
I'll have to hunt then. Hopefully there's one near the pet store. I can probably do 3 corys, although naming will be hard. I only had one name picked out for a cory. I'm gonna do my best to work a 10. I'll make sure I keep up with water changes. That's what the calendar in the iPhone is for. :D Any hints for sand adding? Never had sand.
 
One thing that I'd recommend is make a promise to yourself that you will not buy any fish tomorrow. Then go to wherever you are going and write down the names and prices of all the fish, tanks, and supplies that you see. Then you can go home and do research (or ask us!) on specific requirements, compatibility, and so forth. Knowing what you have available is invaluable in terms of providing the right home and also getting the best possible deal. Good luck! (y)
 
That's why I've been asking on here and researching online all night. So I get the compatibility right BEFORE my friend and I go fish shopping tomorrow. The best deal I've heard is on this thread. I know what fish I want and what they're compatible with. I've been doing most of what you said all night.
 
BettaGal said:
I'll have to hunt then. Hopefully there's one near the pet store. I can probably do 3 corys, although naming will be hard. I only had one name picked out for a cory. I'm gonna do my best to work a 10. I'll make sure I keep up with water changes. That's what the calendar in the iPhone is for. :D Any hints for sand adding? Never had sand.
Click to expand...

I've used a fish net with really small holes and rinsed it under a tap until the water runs clear, then be sure to ad the sand before adding water and when you ad water poor it very slowly at first to not kick up any dust, I've done this with 3 tanks now and the water has always been crystal clear from the start. I've noticed with using a bucket and washing with hands vigorously actually produces some extra dust because the grains rub on each others. This is especially true when using clay type substrates if you ever end up using it in the future. One thing is for sure though, it's much easier to add a substrate before you have water and fish, rather than changing a substrate after you have one type alrwady
 
BettaGal said:
I'll get a bigger fishnet for that. I just got a small one and that would take forever.
Click to expand...

I used this on my 20 long an worked really well, didn't take too long but yea a bigger net or even a wire strainer would speed things up a lot
 
BettaGal said:
That's why I've been asking on here and researching online all night. So I get the compatibility right BEFORE my friend and I go fish shopping tomorrow. The best deal I've heard is on this thread. I know what fish I want and what they're compatible with. I've been doing most of what you said all night.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm not trying to lecture you -- just trying to give you advice I wish someone had given me when I first started. The research part often takes considerable time. For example corydoras catfish are very social fish and should be kept in groups of 5-6, but there are very few cory species that are small enough to work ok in a ten gallon tank and it'd be easy to make a mistake and get the wrong one(s). You just have to know exactly what you're dealing with.
 
Have you considered looking on eBay or craigslist for used tank setups? They are often dramatically cheaper than a brand new set up and come with the necessary filters, hoods, lights etc.
 
That would have shipping costs and then fighting with the box in my dorm and listening to everyone wonder what on earth I ordered. I would think a new one would have less chance of something being in it also. If I got a new one, I have a friend to act as a pack mule and carry it for me. :whistle:
 
You can find a lot of local people on Craigslist selling aquariums. I didn't mean buy one out of state and have it shipped to you.
 
It was just an idea, I got my 46 gallon bowfront with stand, gravel, plants, decorations, food, hood, filter and light for $175 off of a guy that was about 10 min from my house. If you were only looking for a 10 gal I'm sure you could get one for cheap. It would take a little more work to get cleaned up and sterilized but it would save you a lot of money and give you more fish options. I'm a broke college student like you and I'm always looking for ways to cut on costs :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Fish ammonia
Replies
8
Views
346
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
D
Fish Stock advice
Replies
2
Views
368
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
D
Dwarf Chain Loaches
Replies
2
Views
352
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
N
Stocking advice
Replies
15
Views
618
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
J
Stocking questions
Replies
1
Views
244
Andy Sager
Andy Sager

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom